I need a new cat but the OEM stock converter costs a fortune. Anyone have any suggestions on what would be a good aftermarket cat to buy thats not too pricey?

 

Is your car past the 8 year 80,000 mile Federal Emissions Warranty?

 

Unfortunately no. Its an 04 model and the warranty was expired when i bought the car.

 

lol i mean yes it is passed the warranty. my bad

 

RP supercat. Supposed to be pretty good.
Rotary Performance | Yes, it’s fast.

 

is that direct fit?

 

Btw thanx for the advice. Oh and my RX idles a little rough but not too bad. would the cat be part of the problem or possibly the entire problem?

 

I am pretty sure they all idle rough, one advantage of Cobb access port. Adjust the idle. And, yes, it's a direct fit bolt on.

 

Where is the Cobb access port on it and how would i adjust it? it kinda runs rough when i turn the AC on to. idk if thats normal or what. sorry if i ask too many questions. im just trying to do my research and learn as much as i can about them you no?

 

The cobb access port is something you would have to buy. You may be able to find a used one in the for sale section. If not you could pick up a new one for about $500 without the tuning service or $600 with tuning. You may be able to find a used cat on the forums for ~$400. The oem cat is a decent one, most brands wont last at all and you will burn right through them.

How badly is your cat clogged up? If you are still driving and it is causing excessive back pressure you could be doing damage to your engine. You might want to consider doing a compression check on it at the dealer. However if you are worried about the cost of a cat then an engine probably is not on the horizon.

When was the last time you replaced your spark plugs, coils, and wires?

 

forget the cobb. change coils, wires, and plugs...then if you need, get a used catalytic (or if your state does not do emissions checks and you dont mind a little odor and more power, get a midpipe. you can find em on here used as cheap as $100).

 

^+1
Don't forget Cobb though, it is a great tool that you can program to increase oil use for lubrication, program to ignore certain cel codes, increase idle, and increase/decrease redline, and change timing. I don't suggest messing with rpm limit. But it's a great item. How do you know you need a cat?

 

well i took it in when i got it because the CEL came on when i was driving it home from the dealer which is two hours away from where i live. the code came up saying it was the cat but idt its too clogged or even clogged at all. The car hasnt progressively run bad or anything. seems to run the same as it did the first few days that i had it. havent really had a chance to take it back in to get it looked at but its running okay. if you go behind the car and listen to the exhaust you will hear a thump kind of sound here and there but its not constantly doing it. could just be the spark plugs but the wires and coils look almost new. they dont look original to me. idk how the last owner treated it either which is why i posted the engine decarb thread as well so i can clean it up and remove any buildup that could be in there. ive had it since december and havent had any problems with it running bad so its probably something minor.

 

Buy a used cat that still works (like mine in the for sale section) if you want to stay with a cat.

And yeah you should definitely get a compression test...

 

only reason why i said forget it was to stay on a smaller budget till other options that Charles noted like compression... once compression is checked and good, he has new coils and plugs, etc then he can move on to the cobb option

 

Would it be better just to punch out the cat instead or will it hurt the engine? it doesnt seem to have a loss of compression either because the rpm look normal when its idling but i could be wrong. My biggest problem is having the money to replace all of that if its even necessary to replace. theres no point in replacing something if theres nothin wrong with it so ill just get the compression checked along with the plugs and coils. as for the cat i might just have to ask for an early Christmas present... lol JK

 

btw how much would a compression check cost?

 

depending on the dealer compression checks can run from $100-$150.
keep the cat, even if it might be a little clogged...it will have some value still that way. just get a midpipe, you can find used AP midpipes on here for very cheap (as little as $100) and are very commonly used.

 

Try turning your A/C off and see if that smooths your idle out...

 

wont i fail the emissions test with a midpipe? wont i still have a CEL as well? uggghh. idk what to do. :/

 

Check my signature.

 

when i have the AC on it just makes the car vibrate at idle. with it off it wont vibrate. you can only BARELY hear the rough idle through the exhaust. its not very rough but i wouldnt consider it to be normal you know?

 

Yes you will fail the test without a cat. Depending where you live it can be easy to pass even with no cat.

What state are you in assuming you are in the US, sorry if I missed it.

 

okay. its aight. lol i live in a small town south texas.

 

i guess ill just punch out my cat. it'll pretty much be the same as a midpipe.